Railroad-signal



' Patented Aug. 2, |898.

T. H. CAMPBELL. nAlLnoAn SIGNAL.

(Avpplicatiqn med J'nn. 28, 189B.)

2 sheetsfsneet l.

(No Model.)

'mz mams PETERS co., PuoTaLrrna., WASHINGTON. mc.

oo. 2. 9 t oo u .|I. h 7 s 2 s Uw n u IM .A S d 2 e .I n e t a P m LLm LA, EN BGB. pmu M T ADM `SAQ. 0n .n.m HL. llc .An TRW.. ,M 0.. .8 2 8., J 0 m 6 0 M o 0. N N

UNITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

THOMAS H. CAMPBELL, ASHLAND, VIRGINIA.

RAILROAD-SIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,280, dated August 2, 1898.

Application tiled January 28, 1898. Serial No. 668,293. (N model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the UnitedA States, residing at Ashland, in the county of AHanover and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Railroad-Signal, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to railroad-signals, and particularly to a washout danger-signal adapted to be arranged contiguous to the track in cuts and like dcpressionsadjacent to lls to indicate therise of Water to an extent liable to cause a washout; and the object in View is to provide a simple construction and arrangement of parts adapted tov be actuated by the water to release a signal-staff for operation by means under constant tension for reversing the same. l

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. y.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a signalingapparatus constructed in accordance with Vmy invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional-view of` the operating .de-

conduit for carrying the water from one side of the fill to the otherg, In case of a freshet this conduit is frequently incapable of conveying the accumulationof Water, and hence there is a liability of overflow and a washout.

The apparatus embodying my invention is designed to be placed contiguous to any portion of a railroad-track which is exposed to dangers of a washout, and in addition to a suitable standard l, adapted to be of any necessary height, I provide a signal staff or spindle 2, together with an actuating device under constant tension, such as a weight 3,

Vand holding and trip mechanism for maintaining the apparatus in its set position, said tripmechanism including a water-actuated plunger, which is'exposed to the pressure of water when the latter rises to a pointliabl'e to endanger the road-bed. j In the Yconstruction illustrated in Figs. 2 to 4 the plunger 4 consists of a float normally supported by a bracket 5 at such a point as to be out of the reach of the water when at its normallevel, said float being mounted in a cylindrical orv tubular guide 6, having an open lower4 end which is preferably fitted with a'guard of reticulated or interstitial construction, such as a screen 7, to prevent the accumulationof floating debris in the lower end ot' the cylinder and also to prevent the elevation of the float bythe introduction of sticks or otherwise kby meddlesome persons. The sta or spindle 2 is provided with a laterally-extending arm 8, in the path of which is normally arranged the extremity of a locking or holding lever 9, pivoted, as at l0, and concealed wholly Within the casing, a suitable stop 1l being arranged in the path of the weighted or enlarged endof the lever to limit the downward movement thereof. The engaging arm 12 of the lever is preferably curved upwardlybr is otherwise beveled over in the operationof turning the signal sta or spindle from its released position (indicated by thedotted arm'S in Fig. 3) to a set position, as shown in full lines, and it is obvious that whenthe arm 8 has passed the eX- tremity of said lever-arm 1 2 the lever will be returned by `gravity toits normal position (shown in Fig. 2) in the path of the arm '8. The plunger (which in the construction illustrated in Fig. 2 consists of afloat, as described) is provided with a stem 13, extending through a suitable guide 14, and the weighted arm of the lever 9 is arrangedinthe pathY of this stem, whereby when the water rises in the casing su Eticiently to lift the plunger said stem will be'brought in contact with the lever and will trip the saine, and thereby release the signal staff or spindle, whereby the latter may be turned to its released position by means of an operating-weight 3, which is connected, by means of a chain l5 or its equivalent, with an arln 16 on said staff or spindle, said connection passing through a suit-able guide 17 to facilitate the passage "of the arm 8 therey IOO in order to apply the strain oi' the chain in the proper direction.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 the counterbalancing and holding or locking devices are identical with those shown in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive; but instead of a plunger consisting of a float I have shown a plunger consisting ot a depressible variable weight comprising a bucket or receptacle 1S, connected flexibly, as by a chain It), with the weighted end of the locking-lever 9", and have also provided the casing with an inwardly-extending spout 20, through which water from the outside is adapted to enter the casing and be deposited in the receptacle when the level of the water rises to the plane of said spout. Obviously the lower end of the cylinder GL in this modiiied form of the apparatus is closed, as is the upper end in both forms of the apparatus.

I `rom the above description it will be seen that in operation the rise of the surface of the water to a point governed by the elevation ot the cylinder will actuate the plunger, and thus trip the holding or locking lever, and thereby release the signal statt or spindle for actuation by the means provided for that purpose to display a suitable signal to the engineer of an approaching train, and thus apprise him of the tact that the water has risen in a cut or run to such a point as to endanger the road-bed, and hence enable him to reduce the speed or entirely check the motion ot the train before reaching the endangered point.

\Vhile in the construction illustrated the locking or holding lever is so arranged and formed as to dispose its extremity in the path ol the arm on the signal-statt in order to maintain the latter in its set position, it is obvious that said locking or holding` lever may be provided with a shoulder or other projection analogous to its abrupt extremity for engagement with the arm of the statt to lock the latter in the desired position, and as in either case an abrupt shoulder is the means whereby the signal-statt arm is held in place I have deemed it unnecessary to illustrate any other form than that wherein the extremity of the lever abuts against the arm.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with a signal-statt,a11d means under constant tension .for actuating the same, of a locking device, and a trip mechanism arranged in operative relation with the locking device and having a plunger mounted in a casing in the path of water liable to rise above a normal level, substantially as speciiied.

2. The combination with a signal-staff, and means, under constant tension, for actuating the same to expose a danger-signal, of a casing, a locking device inclosed in the easing for maintaining the signal-statt in its set position, and trip mechanism also inclosed in the casing and arrangedin operative relation with the locking device, the same having a plunger arranged in the path of water liable to rise above a normal level, substantially as specified.

The combination with a signal stallf or spindle mounted for rotary movement, and means under constant tension for actuating the same, of a locking-lever yieldingly held in its set position with an arm in the path ot a projection on said stall' or spindle, to maintain the latter in its set position, and a plunger arranged in the path ot' water liable to rise above its normal level, and operatively connected with said locking-level', for actuating the same when the plunger is moved by contact of the water, substantially as specitied.

4. The combination with a signal stall; or spindle havinga lateral arm and an actuatingweight [lexibly connected with said arm, ot' a locking-lever normally arranged in the path of a second arm on the stall' or spindle, a plungerarranged in the path of water liable to risc above its normal level, and operatively connected with said locking-lever, and a casing inclosing` said actuating-weight,loel iiig-lever, and plunger, substantially as speciiied.

5. The combination with a signal stall.' or spindle, and yielding means under constant tension for actuating the same, of a lockinglever normally arranged in the path of an arm on said stall or spindle, a cylindrical casing inclosing said lever and extending below the plane thereof, an open-work guard closing the lower end of the casing, and a plunger, consisting of a iloat mounted in the casing and having a stem in the path ol` which said locking-lever is arranged, said plunger being located above the normal level of water liable to rise, substantially as speci tied.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have heretoal'tixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOS. il. CAMPBELL.

lVitncsses:

l). lt. ANbnnsoN, 'l. M. (minnaar/L.

IOO

IIO 

